Avaya recently announced IX Workplace version 3.24 https://support.avaya.com/css/P8/documents/101079928. One new feature we have been waiting for a long time is called “Support of 46xxspecials file for Workplace Client”.
The challenge
Avaya IP Office creates a 46xxsettings.txt automatically based on the settings you made in it’s configuration. Additionally the file looks different based on the network from where a client downloads the file. Within any local network the file contains the local IP address in the file while behind any NAT router (access from public) the configured public IP and FQDNs are reflected.
Even if the auto generated 46xxsettings.txt has a good set of configuration parameters you will probably add some individual settings. You can for example add a dial plan configuration so that trunk access codes are added to the dialled number. Or you can configure EC500 settings to be able to use the app to reach your call destination through IP Office, even if the data connectivity is bad or some ports are blocked. You will dial a special number in your IP Office, get an internal dial tone and the app will dial the destination number as DTMF digits afterward. Boom… the called party will only see your office number.
In the past the IX Workplace client didn’t load any other configuration file than that, that is configured in the client configuration. Therefore you had to decide if you prefer the auto generated file of if you want to create your own one (i.e. ixsettings.txt). But it wasn’t possible to use the auto generated 46xxsettings.txt along with an individualised 46xxspecials.txt.
The solution
With the new release of IX Workplace version 3.24 the client now supports loading the 46xxspecials.txt (or any other linked config file) additional to the first fetched file (46xxsettings.txt). Sadfully my first tests failed and the app did not load the specials file.
The background
So what happened? Even if I can browse the 46xxettings.txt and find the “GET 46xxspecials.txt” command and the client app should be able to get the file it is not requestet. I checked this with a Sysmon trace.
When Avaya released IX Workplace and IP Office was able to deliver the 46xxspecials.txt file there were some issues found. Every time the IX Workplace app loaded 46xxsettings.txt and tried to do the “GET 46xxspecials.txt” command the app failed. Therefore the IP Office developers decided to remove that command every time the settings file has been downloaded by an IX Workplace client.
To confirm this I used the Firefox User-Agent Switcher and Manager addon and entered the user agent used by IX Workplace. And what do you think? The “GET 46xxspecials.txt” command at the end of 46xxsettings.txt was really missing.
The future
So at the moment it is not possible to use 46xxspecials.txt in IP Office to provide some extra information for IX Workplace clients.
Since IX Workplace now supports to load extra settings files we can be sure that with a future release of IP Office it will be possible to use 46xxspecials.txt with IX Workplace.
The workaround
While IP Office removes the command to load the 46xxspecials.txt we have to use a workaround. Instead of loading 46xxsettings.txt first followed by 46xxspecials.txt we have to load a static settings file first. I contains the individual settings we usually would add in a 46xxspecials.txt. At the end of this file we can now add the command to fetch the auto generated 46xxsettings.txt with all the settings IP Offices generates based on it’s configuration.
The steps to load your own settings file and the auto generated 46xxsettings.txt are the following:
- Create ixsettings.txt file (for example)
- Add “GET 46xxsettings.txt” at the end of ixsettings.txt
- Be aware to not set settings in ixsettins.txt that will be overwritten by 46xxsettings.txt
- Point the IX Workplace app to ixsettings.txt to build it’s configuration.
Conclusion
I guess many of us have been waiting for the option to load individual settings into the IX Workplace app. Now this is possible. And even if IP Office doesn’t provide the command to pull the 46xxspecials.txt we can use an individual settings file and (!) we can use the auto generated 46xxsetting.txt though.
Let’s wait for IP Office to support that natively in autumn 2022 when 11.2 will be available.
If you need further help with IP Office you can contact me through my main website: https://www.fwilke.com/home
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